Prayer for a Child

Sunflower:

Bless this milk and bless this bread

Bless this soft and waiting bed

Where I presently shall be 

Wrapped in sweet security.

Through the darkness, through the night

Let no danger come to fright

My sleep till morning once again 

Beckons at the window pane.

Bless the toys whose shapes I know,

the shoes that take me to and fro

Up and down and everywhere.

Bless my little painted chair.

Bless the lamplight, bless the fire,

Bless the hands that never tire 

In their loving care of me.

Bless my father and my mother

And keep us close to one another.

Bless other children, far and near,

And keep them safe and free from fear.

So let me sleep and let me wake

In peace and health, for Jesus' sake.

-Rachel Field, 1945

This is one of the boys' favorite bedtime books.  I'm sure it's been a favorite for many children over the past several decades.  Each night that we read it, a different line stands out to me.  If it's storming, "let no danger come to fright my sleep" is emphasized.  If Caleb's asthma is bad, and he has a stuffy nose, I linger a little longer over "let me sleep....in peace...".  But tonight as we cuddled on the couch and read this prayer together, other lines rang forte.   Please continue to pray for baby Sunflower and "the hands that never tire" in their care of her until she gets home to the medical care she needs, especially this month as our family is spread out all over God's beautiful globe.